You have decided on where and when you will be getting married and where the reception will be taking place. Here are some tips to make sure the reception goes off perfectly with no unexpected surprises.

The Food:

A food tasting is highly recommended before you pick your reception venue. This could be the deciding factor of where to hold your reception. Most places that do wedding receptions regularly will offer this option. You will have to make an appointment and the chef will cook for you what they offer on their menu. You get to taste the options and pick which ones you want to have served at your reception. After your menu has been picked and you are happy with your choices, your job is not done. As a precaution, I recommend that about a week before your wedding day that you call the chef and confirm that all of the ingredients have been ordered for your reception. This may seem petty, but it’s a safety net for your day. You may feel trustworthy of the professionals, but mistakes can happen.

The Seating:

Most places will promise you everything under the Sun to get your business. If you are having a large wedding, make sure they have enough tables, chairs, plates, glasses, etc. to be able to hold your event. If it is a smaller venue, then they may have to rent some of these items to accommodate your guests. Check with them about two weeks before the wedding day to make sure this has been done. Do not leave anything to chance. Try to get your seating chart to the establishment about a week and a half before the wedding day so they have plenty of time to know exactly what they need for your day.

Set Up and Decorating:

If you are having your event at a smaller venue I highly recommend that you make sure you are the only wedding reception on that day. If there is a wedding before yours than time can be a real issue in setting up your reception room for your event. Make sure you try to get as much time before the wedding to be able to come in and decorate the room to your theme. Ask for a day or two before the date of your wedding, this is sometimes not possible but, worth a try. Check in with the florist, DJ or band, and your photographer/videographer a week before the wedding to make sure they understand what time the need to be there. Once again this may seem like overkill, but worth the peace of mind.

By doing your due diligence before the wedding and double, even triple checking all of the details will pay off. The people that you hire will understand your concerns and should be more than understanding.